Portable grease dispensing pump



c. G. BUTLER PORTABLE GREASE DISPENSINQ PHI? 7 an ina; fi-ilgd m" 3, 192a Sheets-$1109: 1

INVENTOR BY W? M ATTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS y 2- c. G. BUTLER PORTABLE enmsfl DISPENSING PUMP Original Filed May 3, 1928 c. GfBUTLER PORTABLE GREASE DISPENSIKG PUII? May- 31, 1932.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed May 3, 1928 ATTORNEYS May 31, 1932. c BUTLER 1,861,230

' PORTABLE GREASE DISPENSING PUMP ori inal Filed May :5, 192 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTQ RNEYS INVENIOB Federated May 31, 1932 ENT OFFICE CLYDE G. BUTLER; OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CINCINNATI BALL CRANK COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO,'A. CORPORATION 01 OHIO PORTABLE GREASE DISPENSING PUMP Original application filed Kay 3, 1928, Serial R0. 274,706. Divided and this application Serial No. 596,256,

My invention relates to a liquid pump of the intermeshing gear type, capable of a great variety of uses, but, which, from a long period of experimentation, I have found .to e

especially applicable to the removal from a container, of heavy greases, oils, lubrlcants, soaps, fats and other materials of th s nature which are relatively crude commercial products, forming a compact mass, generally shipped in containers from which they are not readily removable.

This application is a division ofthe application of Clyde G. Butler, for Submerged pump, filed May 3, 1928, Serial No.

Owing to the structural peculiarity of this device, as well as to the novel principle of its operation, I have chosen to designate the structural embodiment of my invention as a submerged grease pump.

That is to say, in accordance with my basic concept, susceptible of many different concrete embodiments and various modifications of structure or of adaptation to the handling of widely difierent materials, the pump in general comprises the embodiment of a long tubular member adapted for insertion into say, a commercial or shipping grease tank, and it is characterized by the provision of an intermeshing pair of pumping gears on one end of the tubular member driven by a shaft preferably extending through this tube, and

g the tube is connected with a discharge port of the pumping gears whereby the liquid of the container is passed or forced upwardly through the tube to a suitable discharge at the upper end above the container.

This concept enables the provision of a cheap, simple and durable unit, comprising, the tube, with a pair of pumping gears at one end for submersion into a liquid body, and a power or hand drive on the other or upper end of the tube for rotating a drive shaft, this upper end of the tube being preferably supported upon a closure plate or bed adapted for closing the upper end or head of the container.

It is, of course, within the scope of the idea, to employ separate tubes for discharging grease from the gears and for enclosing tiled. larch 2, 1982.

duit extends approximately axially of the driving gears so that these inter-meshing gears are arranged to rotate openly in the body of theliquid in a plane at right angles to the olrliye shaft and to the discharge immersion In practice, I prefer to use gears of the class herein disclosed and which have been claimed in combination with the tube member, inasmuch as gears of this species have been found to be highly eficient, and are therefore illustrated as the preferred embodiment and as affording a typical working example.

Another subsidiary, though highiy advantageo-us phase of the invention, relates to the manner of mounting the gears on the lower end of the immersion tube, so that the axes of the gears are not relatively fixed but are yieldingiy pressed together and so adapted to close in or back away, depending upon operating conditions or non-uniform physical characteristics of the commodity handled. Also, and preferably, I provide spring actuated means for unitarily urging the intermeshing gears upwardly against the face of the plate on the lower end of the tube,

which plate provides a fixed discharge port bottomi plate, are swiveled in relation to the tube, and free to'revolve around the tube under the influence of centrifugal force.

It is intended that the tube shall extend to the bottom of the container, and as the cross sectionof the bottom of the container is much greater than the combined diam eters of the pump gears, it is highly desirable to so mount the gears in relation to the axis of the tube that the gears when openly rotating in the body of a liquid can generate a centrifugal force which will swing the gearcarrying foot around the tube in a circular path or sweep along the bottom of the container, so as to operate upon a much greater mass of the material than would be possible if the gears occupied a fixed position in relation to the bottom of the container and of the tube.

That is to say, the gear-carr ing foot is free to float, and the gears there ore are rendered self-feeding and are continuously and automatically brou ht into operation with different portions 0 the mass at the bottom of the containers.

This is especially important in the manipulation of heavygreases or crude oils which have no appreciable mobile or flow property, for if the gears were fixed in relation to a definite portion of the container bottom and not free to so wander, after that portion of the liquid which is localized in relation to the gears, had been expelled, the gears would have made a pocket in the mass and so become either inactive or ineflicient. It is this floating or migratory character of the foot at the lower end of the tube that is partly accountable-for the eificiency and wide applicability of the pump to the manipulations of liquid, or semi-liquid, or even semi-solid bodies, or other bodies of great density, of a nature adapted to be acted upon and broken up by the rotating gear teeth.

The gears are supported on the lower end of this tube so that the axis of thetube or of the driving shaft is at one side of and parallel to the vertical line of gear intermesh, the gears projecting radially from the foot of the tube, thus constituting the long end of a lever arm, or, as stated otherwise, the point of gear intermesh iseccentric to the axis of the driving shaft and hence the centrifugal force of rotation causes the foot of the tube to travel around the bottom of the container, acting as a self-feeder and constantly contacting fresh masses of material.

Other objects and certain advantages will be more fully set forth in a description of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a general view showing the pumping device concerned in this invention. mounted in relation to a container.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1, illustrating the driving mechapump through to the conduit connection point at the side of the transmission casing at the top of the device.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lower end of .the discharge tube or shaft conduit illustrating the construction and mountin of the foot relative to the base end of the tu e.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the lower end of the device illustrating the foot and showing the manner of mounting the pump gears.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6,6, of Fig. 4, showing the tube, shaft and foot in cross section and further illustrating the arrangement of pumping gears.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7, of Fig. 3, detailing the construction and arrangement of the pumping. gears and showing the relation of the discharge port thereto.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the gear teeth showing one manner of porting the tooth to properly discharge the fluid endwise from the tooth.

Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating another form of tooth for the same purpose.

Referring to the drawings, the container is indicated at 1 and the pumping unit concerned in this invention is indicated generally'at 2 as mounted on a closure plate 3 disposed on the face of the top closure 4 of the container.

A grease discharge tube 5 depends from the top of the container 1 to the lower region of the container. This discharge tube 5 is screwed into the under side of a transmission casing 6, secured to the top of the plate by means of bolts 7.

As shown in Figure 1, the plate 3 entirely closes an opening in the top 4 of the container, this opening being large enough to permit the insertion of the pump and tube therethrough.

The transmission casing has an extension 8 at one side thereof as a support for a measuring device 9, the extension having therein a passageway continuation 10 from the top of the discharge tube through the measuring device.

The power for the submerged pump which is located at the base of the tube is derived from a motor 11 mounted on the top of the plate 3 and having a shaft extension 12 extending into the transmission casing and journaled in a pair of bearing brackets 13, the bearing on the opposite side from the motor forming a closure for the shaft end.

An end thrust bearing 14 is disposed menses against the inner face of the closed bearing and held thereagainst, taking the longitudinal drive thrust through a washer engaging a shaft shoulder 16 formed by the reduction of the shaft diameter.

A hearing shoulder 17 is also provided on the shaft portion engaging the inner face of the opposing bearing 12.

A worm 13 is formed on the shaft intermediate of the shaft bearing portions and within the casing, this worm being in mesh with a worm gear 19 pinned to the upper end of a pump driving shuft 20 depending downwardly through the interior of the tube 5.

. The gear pinned to the shaft is hung on a top surface of a bushing or gland 21 secured to the top surface of a central boss traversed by the shaft This gland 21 disposes packing 22 against the shaft for sealing this point against the flow of grease upwardly into the trsnsmission chamber proper. The upper end of the shaft above the gear is journaled in a bushing 23, this bushing being disposed within the central boss of a top cap plate 24. The pumping elements are mounted at the base of the tube and constitute what may be termed a'revolving foot as hereinafter described.

The shaft 20 at its lower end and in the base of the tube is secured to the sleeve extension of a gear 25 by means of a key 26. The shaft 20 through the key is merely rotatively connected to the gear and the gear is free to move vertically in relation to the shaft.

The ear is supported in a position against the under side of a pump body 27 by means of a studded plate 28, the studded plate being resiliently drawn upward against the under side of the gear and the stud 29 thereof is dis posed within the lower end of the central bore of the gear.

The sleeve extension of the gear is journaled within a concentric bore formed in the lower end of the pump body. This last mentioned bore is a decreased continuation of a bore 30 into which the tube extends, the pump bodybeing secured to the tube by means of a screw 31 and a lock nut 32, the screw extending into engagement with a groove 33 formed in the periphery of the tube. The screw connection of the body to the tube in this manner permits rotation of the body relative to the tube and also allows translation of the body longitudinally of the tube in order that the body may adjust itself on the tube when it contacts the base of the container 1.

The function of the set screw is to prevent the pump body or the entire foot from dropping ofi" the tube when the device is withdrawn from the container or when it is impossible to dispose the foot against the bottom of the tank. The drawing off or pumping of the grease from the container is by means of the intermeshing of the power gear 25 with a second gear 34. This second gear 34- is supported by the plate 28 and is centrally journaled by means of a second studded plate 35 having its stud extending downwardly.

A portion of this plate directly above the stud is in engagement with a boss extension 36 extending radially from the pump body. This second studded plate is drawn toward the center of the pump body by means of re silient connection, providing a snug and nositive intermeshing of the gear teeth. The first mentioned studded plate or under support 28 for the gears may be described as being circular with its stud disposed eccentric thereon and having a slot 37 in its margin diametrically opposite the stud, this slot rcviding a clearance for the lower end or the stud of the second late.-

Oneac-h side of the plate and on a line at right angles to the diametric line of the stud and slot are a pair of screws 38, these screws extending from screw threaded engagement with the plate upwardly and traversing cores in the horizontal flange 39 of the pump body.

A pair of nuts i0 on the upper end of the screw 38 compress a spring 41 against the top face of the flange, and the resultant action is to draw the circular plate upward under spring tension.

The resilient connection of the second gearcarrying plate is in the same manner, the screws in this instance extending through depending bosses 42 formed on each end of the for wear as well as allowing some flexibility in the event that there happen to be solid particles in the grease being fed; If there is a detrimental obstruction in the line of feed, the radially floating bearing permits a .by-passin'g of the grease straight through between the zone of intermesh with no lateral discharge into the port 45 and therefore provides a safety feature. In other words, there is a limit to the pressure developed by the pump dependent on the strength of springs used and beyond that the pump ceases to function due to the radial spreading of the gears.

A discharge port 45 connects the base end of the tube with the point of gear intermesh, this port extending through the body of the pump. The respective teeth of both gears are specially formed as shown in Figs. 7 to 9 inelusive. Formation of each tooth consists of a bore 46 extending into one side of the tooth and stopping within the tooth or extending entirely through, and a slot or bores 47 connecting this endwise opening with the crown of the tooth. The teeth of the gears are dis- 5 posed so that the ported side of the tooth is adjacent to the discharge port 45 previously described and the ports 46 registered therewith when the gears are rotated. The manner of gear intermesh and relation of the gear ports and the discharge port is illustrated in discharges it endwise from the tooth into the discharge port.

The arrangement of the discharge port 45 is such that the openings of the teeth each come into registry therewith at just the moment that the grease is positively trapped and sealed within the aforementioned cavity by the; intermeshing of the teeth. (See Figure The tendency of the pump body when there is no more grease to be taken up by the gears at a particular point is to swing on the tube, revolving the outer gear around the driven gear and to thus feed from various points at the base of the container. This revolving 'of the outer gear of the pump is due to the centrifugal force due to the pressure of the driving gearteeth against the teeth of the second gear. In other words, there is a sort of lever action between the respective gear centers abated somewhat by the device getting under full speed but always present to a suificient degree to move when there is no grease anchoring the pump.

The outlet port of the device extends from the continuation of the port into which the tube is threaded through the transmission casing through the passageway 10 to a point in the top surface of the extension on the casing and registers with the intake port for the measuring device 9. The details for the measuring device are not disclosed in detail herein inasmuch as it is a. commercial article, the outlet port 48 of the device, of course, connecting with a threaded opening 49 at the outer end of the extension to which may be connected any suitable conduit for directing grease to the desired point.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In a lubricant dispensing apparatus, the combination of a casting forming a transmission casing and carrying a base member forming a detachable cover for a lubricant drum,

my name.

CLYDE G. BUTLER. 

